Climate:
Nassarawa, which
is existence due to agitations of neglect and margin alisation. Several of its
untapped resources now offer very good potentials for economically viable and
technically feasible industrial and agricultural development projects. It has a
wide range of solid minerals and a variety of crops produced within the state.
The state is traversed by a number of
Federal trunk roads and also enjoys the services of the National Electric Power
Authority (NEPA). It is con nected to the National Grid and further supplement
ed by supplies from National Electric Supply Company (NESCO) from Plateau State.
All major towns in the state have
electricity. The state lies on the eastern border of the Federal Capital
Territory, Abuja and this proximity gives it many administra tive and
commercial advantages such as quick access to Federal Ministries and patronage in hotels and food crops. Banking facilities are also available
in all major towns in the state. Many finance houses are found in the state
(especially at Lafia, Akwanga, Kaderoko, Obi, Keana, Karu, Keffi, Nassarawa and Wamba.
At the moment, the commercial life of the
state is dominated by the operations of the rural markets. Apart from Lafia and
Karu, all other markets are periodic, including Keffi and Akwanga markets.
Table 25.5 provide a list of the major markets operating in the state.
Voir of secondary school leavers who can
easily be employed as semiskilled workers. Certain specialised skills may not
be adequately available, but can be engaged easily from neighboring states
like Plateau, Benue, Kogi and Kaduna. Community clashes are not a common phenomenon within the state and therefore
the state can claim a reason able degree of peace within its borders.
Industrial
Potentialities:
The abundant miner al and agricultural
resources in Nassarawa State provide a good and solid base for rapid
industriali sation when the necessary financial provisions are made.
For example, the
following minerals have already been listed among those that have the prospects
of being found on an economic scale; they include marble in Toto, Awe, Lafia,
and Wamba; high quality glass sand in Lafia; clay in Keffi, Wamba, Karu, and Kokoam, baryte in Awe and Obi; precious stones in Awe and
Nassarawa Eggon, tin in Udegi.
Perhaps, the greatest attraction offered by
the state is in the provision of raw materials for agro based industries. Such
industries could include various food processing industries, beverages, beer et
cetera. The state produces a wide range of crops which include yam, cassava,
corn, rice, groundnut, cowpea, soyabeans, beniseed, melon.
The root and tuber crops such as yam and
cassava provide a good opportunity for value addition. Apart from the usual
gari, flour and chips that are locally pro duced, paste for use in
pharmaceuticals as well as starch can also be produced from cassava. It may
also be profitable to encourage multipurpose factories capable of providing
high premium cassava products for export.
Oil seeds, which
include soya-beans, beni-seed, egusi (melon) and palm oil, can be used to
produce vegetable oil for both industrial use as well as human consumption.
Tree crops such as mangoes, cashew and oranges offer good investment
opportunities in the production of juices and jams, and can equally be
processed as sliced dried fruit or paste for exports. Cashew nuts are already in
very high demand even without processing.
Also, tomatoes and pepper can be exported
after basic transformation. Tomato paste, in partic ular, has a high demand
both locally and interna tionally. Nassarawa State is an area where potentials
for viable investment in tourism are not in doubt, particularly in Karu and Keffi which are gateway towns to
Abuja.
The hotel
industry in these towns can easily be patronised by guests who can not afford
the very expensive accommodation in Abuja. The small palm wine markets on
AkwangaLafia road which have been well patronised by travellers and city
dwellers are indicative of the existing potentials for this industry.
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